competing with the soviets for scientific dominance but in a world where america worried about missiles, science spelled "national security." >> the cold war was prolonged, it was going on and no one could see an end to it, and there were underlying risks of nuclear confrontation. >> the next step in the race was manned launches that required a few good men, seven to start. >> there were 110 originally selected to become astronauts by the air force and navy and it became a list of 326789 i was the only guy to flunk. i had what was known as pink pigment in the blood and they said, well, you know, you are out. >> you said at time when you were a boy you were not into dinosaurs. >>guest: when i did not get in the original selection i was interested in rockets before they could spelt -- spell it. >> the goal was to put a human in orbit before the soviets. on the second count they failed and 3 1/2 years after the shock of april 12, 1961, the soviets outpaced the united states again when a cosmonaut was the first human being in space. >> they beat us into orbit so we were behind. we were lagging. >> a